The Book of Lost Fragrances by M. Rose

What’s different about The Book of Lost Fragrances is that there is no mysterious/magical object, but a certain smell, concocted by the ancient Egyptians which brings one back vivid memories of past lives.
-Blog Critics

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by visions of the past, her earliest memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up with as the heir to a storied French perfume company. These worsened after her mother’s suicide until she finally found a doctor who helped her, teaching her to explore the mythological symbolism in her visions and thus lessen their painful impact. This ability led Jac to a wildly successful career as a mythologist, television personality, and author.

When her brother, Robbie—who’s taken over the House of L’Etoile from their father—contacts Jac about a remarkable discovery in the family archives, she’s skeptical. But when Robbie goes missing before he can share the secret—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind.

Traveling back to Paris to investigate Robbie’s disappearance, Jac discovers that the secret is a mysterious scent developed in Cleopatra’s time. Could the rumors swirling be true? Can this ancient perfume hold the power to unlock the ability to remember past lives and conclusively prove reincarnation? If this possession has the power to change the world, then it’s not only worth living for…it’s worth killing for, too.

The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense in an intoxicating web that moves from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. This marvelous, spellbinding novel mixes the sensory allure of Perfume with the heartbreaking beauty of The Time Traveler’s Wife, coming to life as richly as our most wildly imagined dreams.

M.J. Rose is the international bestselling author of twelve novels, one of which (The Reincarnationist) was the basis of the television series Past Lives. She is a founding board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Critic reviews for The Book of Lost Fragrances
All: 17 | Positive: 16 | Negative: 1

Blog Critics

Reviewed by ManOfLaBook
on
Mar 14 2012

What’s different about The Book of Lost Fragrances is that there is no mysterious/magical object, but a certain smell, concocted by the ancient Egyptians which brings one back vivid memories of past lives.

So Misguided

Novel Reflections

Reviewed by Diana
on
Apr 02 2012

My favorite parts of the story were the flashbacks to the past lives of the main characters, especially their time in Ancient Egypt, and also the rich descriptions of the scents and smells the characters experienced.